Sam Wallis Principal Associate


Parle :  Anglais


Bureau principal :  Birmingham




Sam Wallis

Sam Wallis qualified in 2015 and is a principal associate in Gowling WLG's contentious construction team. He helps clients avoid or resolve their construction disputes. Sam has a particular interest in matters concerning fire safety and cladding.

Sam enjoys getting to grips with the construction and engineering aspects of a dispute in order to work out exactly what went wrong and why. He knows every dispute is unique and involves many stakeholders with different drivers. He seeks to understand these drivers to better inform the case strategy. He always takes a pragmatic approach and explains the complexities of construction law in a simple and well-structured way.

Sam likes to draft a clear case plan at the outset to ensure clients are aware of the potential directions, risks, costs and timing of a dispute. He is experienced in a number of different dispute resolution methods including arbitration, litigation and mediation. Sam has led a number of major disclosure exercises and has practical experience of the Disclosure Pilot Scheme (introduced on 1 January 2019) which applies to cases in the Technology and Construction Court. Sam also has significant experience of working with experts and witnesses to prepare evidence for hearings. He believes in meeting with clients face to face where possible which is so easy not to do in this age of technology. Sam's main objective is to achieve the best commercial result for your business.

Experience

Sam has acted for:

  • a property management company in a dispute concerning cladding on an apartment block.
  • a national house builder concerning fire safety issues across a large site of houses and apartments.
  • a government entity in relation to defects in an office block which include fire compartmentation issues.
  • a cladding contractor in a dispute with a main contractor about alleged defects in a theatre.
  • a national house builder defending claims brought by customers following defects in properties following practical completion.
  • Taylor Wimpey in the reported case of Thomas & Anor v Taylor Wimpey Developments Ltd & Ors [2019] EWHC 1134 (TCC).
  • a nuclear energy company in Canada whilst on secondment in Gowling WLG's Toronto office in a dispute about defects in the safety system of a nuclear reactor.
  • a major infrastructure company in an arbitration relating to a delayed infrastructure project in the UK.
  • an African energy company in an ICC arbitration concerning a gas processing plant.
  • a design company in relation to a dispute regarding design variations for a metro system in the Middle East.
  • a national house builder pursuing a claim against a groundworks company relating to defective attenuation tanks.
  • a well-known transportation brand in a dispute against a main contractor following delays to the extension of its head office and factory. This dispute was resolved at mediation.
  • a main contractor in an adjudication concerning alleged delays to the construction of a research and development facility for a consumer goods company